Rendezvous Ch. 07

Violet lifted her head from his pelvic region tentatively, all of sudden she felt ashamed, what if he really thought she was a slut for what she did? Violet rose and was going to attempt to leave the bed, although swallowing his cum hadn't been that bad, it tasted sweet and salty nothing like she thought it was going to be, but the shame coming over her was terrible and maybe she needed a moment to think about what had just happened. Of course, Paul was having none of that.

Paul was still recovering as he turned to see her trying to sneak out. "Excuse me, where the hell are you going?"

Violet stood stock still, after that release she'd have thought he'd want to sleep, but who was she fooling every time they'd ever made love, the man was ready for a second round within moments of the first. She stood up and turned to look at him, "listen, Paul the little he-man thing was really cute and that a hot little session but we both have to up early in the morning for our meeting. So I think I need to jump in the shower and hit the sack. I think maybe we need some time alone."

As she spoke, Violet noticed the scowl on his face getting deeper and deeper. Maybe she should have just laid down next to him and wait for him to fall asleep before she snuck out. She tried harder to explain why she was leaving, they'd be tired in the morning, the night had been long, they could think some things over but the more she explained the less convinced Paul seemed to be.

"Violet, now is not the time to trifle with me," he said sternly. Why did he remind her of her dad when she was little when he said that, how weird. "You will drop those clothes immediately or I'll be dragging you by your hair back to bed."

Violet mouth opened she thought she'd give him a smart comment but the look on his face warned her, he may actually do what he'd just threatened but she thought he was actually teasing her but she could never tell with him sometimes. She laid her clothing down and lay back on the bed.

He turned over on his side to look at her, he was still stern in his speech but his eyes had gone soft on her. It was just so amazing to her that he could be so take-charge and vulnerable all at the same time. She was falling in love with this man so hard, it was starting to hurt her.

"Violet, I want to tell you something about tonight. Yes, I was upset this evening, the way that Kurt guy kept mooning over you. It was starting to bother me."

"Really, Paul? Kurt is just a friend. We've been working on this merger so long we've just become close friends. He has no interest in me as a girlfriend at all. In fact, I think he's got some interest in Joy."

"Hmmm." Paul was surprised.

Violet just laughed, how clueless men could be, "yea, look at her. She's the exotic, tall, leggy, model type. Why wouldn't he be interested in her? You should know, you were married to a model. I'm sure if I were the one we'd be skipping off into the sunset getting married," she smiled but Paul didn't return it.

He sat straight up and turned toward Violet, she watched as he reached those muscular arms out to grab her smaller ones. He hefted her up and she turned to look at him steadily.

"I want you to know Violet I am not hanging on to you until something better comes along. I've been trying during this time to let you know how much I care about you and what an important part of my life you are but I guess showing you isn't enough." He stared at her for a moment and then it happened, "Violet Ingrid Maxwell, I love you. I love you more than I love me. You are absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me and I wouldn't trade you in for all the leggy model-types in the world."

Violet sat there silently, she'd never had a declaration of love quite like this. In her past she always felt that men told her they loved her out of obligation not out of actual genuine emotion. He was looking at her quietly studying her face, he'd just put his heart out in the open and she sitting like a stone statute. Suddenly she was terrified and just really needed to get out there, she'd been hoping he would say this but now that he had all the doubt came crushing on her again. All the heartbreak and pain of past relationships gone wrong, she couldn't take it if she declared her love for him and then he left, she would be devastated, she wasn't going to risk it.

Violet shrugged off his grip and told him, "I'm sorry Paul, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I need a chance to just think," she pleaded to him with her eyes, "I just need a chance to think."

Paul silently conceded it to her. She gathered her clothes for a second time and walked through the adjoining door. Paul sat there and looked at it as if he could see her through it. He'd told her he loved her, couldn't live without her and she just sat silent. His heart felt heavy, he thought she'd moved on from her past heartbreak but it looked like there was more work to do.

Violet sat on the bed, naked with her head in hands. She cried quietly she didn't want Paul to hear and knock on the door to try to rescue her. This was her fight now. His love wasn't going to be enough to move past the pain of disappointment regarding her previous relationships. She had to do that herself. She had to do that by herself.

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Their week in Bern had passed slowly after the night Paul told her he loved her. Violet was on auto-pilot, she was in meetings discussing aspects of the upcoming merger but she barely recognized herself. She hadn't really spoken to Paul at all during the trip and on Thursday he'd been called back to Seattle on another important matter regarding a client at the firm. That Friday, as she packed to get on the plane she kept re-playing the scene in his room from a few days prior, what was she going to do? She knew any sane man would not wait around while she contemplated whether or not to love him, especially one as special as Paul. They'd been dating now for almost a year, although she felt love from him she wasn't about to make a statement to that fact. That would leave her too open. Maybe she should cut her losses, the merger was almost complete and they wouldn't need to see each other around the office much anymore. She could just stop pursuing this relationship and save herself the pain of a bad break-up. He was too wonderful not to want someone better, with a better body or better confidence. Yes, that's what she was going to do when they returned home, do Paul a favor and stop this before anyone got their feelings hurt, most likely, her.

Paul had been so angry after leaving Bern on Thursday, angry and miserable. He'd tried to call, email and even text Violet and he hated texting but she didn't answer and if she did it was only about business. He knew that she'd gotten back Friday night, he thought of surprising her at the airport in the baggage claim section but what was the use she'd probably only look right through him and keep going. She hadn't tried to speak to him since she'd returned, he hadn't seen her all weekend and it was now time for their Monday team meeting. They wanted to debrief the team about the trip to Switzerland and upcoming assignments to get ready and close this merger out. Harmon would be joining them for this meeting he'd wanted to be part of the debriefing.

As Paul strolled towards the Rainier conference room, someone was coming behind him saying his name it was familiar female voice but not the one he wanted to hear. He turned and was greeted with a huge smile and the batting fake eyelashes of Rebecca Althorp. He'd actually been helping her with an estate issue that had overseas ties and boy had she been intrusive, she asked a lot of dumb questions, he figured it was just so she would have an opportunity to come to his office and lean over his desk to shove those fake boobs at him. He didn't feel like talking to her right now, this just was not the time.

She sidled up to him, twisting her hips so hard he thought she'd throw one out. She came up and immediately put her hand on his arm as if to lock him in place.

"I'm so glad to see you. I'd heard you'd gotten back to work late last week but I hadn't had a chance to come by and see how your trip was. Oh well, it was probably frightfully mundane it's not as if Violet Maxwell leads an exciting life. She's totally looks like no fun, too bad it wasn't me with you in Bern we would have had a blast," she said her chest heaving. He would say something about the Violet comment but he wasn't exactly feeling warm and fuzzy about his lady love at the moment.

"What can I do for you Rebecca? I'm on my way to a meeting and I don't want to be late."

"Oh, I don't want to keep you from taking care of business, I'm sure you're good at it," she was trying to use innuendo with him but he saw through her like a cheap cotton undershirt.

"Paul, I just really need your help on more matters regarding the Bourque estate. Could you pleaseee help me" she gave Paul those lost puppy dog eyes. He wondered to himself did that actually work on men? He couldn't see how and that whiny thing she did when she wanted to get her way worked, it was nerve-wracking. His nieces and nephew had never whined like that as children, she was grown woman.

"Sure, Rebecca I'll help you when would you like to meet?"

She perked up quickly and started to bounce up and down, "oh thank you, you're a godsend Paul. How about we do a lunch meeting today, is that okay?"

"Sure, it's fine, how about 1 p.m. at Danny Dunne's Café?"

Rebecca was disappointed he hadn't said some place more cozy and private, but any time she could get alone with this hunk of a man was great. All she had to do was wait and make her move, he was going to be hers, no woman could compete with her and she knew it. All of sudden out of the corner of her eye she spied Violet coming down the wall, she had her head down reading as she walked. She thought to herself, 'what a loser and she's fat.' She'd noticed that Violet and Paul seemed to spend a lot of time together but this dang merger was about to be completed and she'd be using Paul every chance she got on this estate stuff. Just as she was coming down the hall toward them, Rebecca saw Violet look up and spot them and her eyes widened as she saw Rebecca go in for the kill. Paul was staring at Violet as she made her way down the hall, she looked absolutely breathtaking. Then all of sudden he felt something cold and wet on his cheek, he did a side-eye and spotted Rebecca kissing him on the cheek as she caressed his arm.

"Thanks so much handsome. See you for that lunch," she turned and sashayed down the hall in a skirt way too short for any woman who wanted to be taken seriously as a professional.

He realized Violet heard Rebecca say the last sentence, how could she not she'd said it loud enough for Oregon to hear. And then he noticed something else, a look of fire in her eyes, she was mad, she was jealous he thought, this made him perk up. Maybe this Rebecca thing could work in his favor, he hated doing things like this but if she thought she may lose him even though he was sure she should have known he'd never go for Rebecca then maybe she'd confess her love for him.

Violet was stunned, she didn't just see what she thought she saw. Why was Rebecca being cozy with Paul. Her stomach lurched a bit, wow he seemed to have moved on really quickly and with Rebecca of all people. Maybe he wasn't the man she thought he was, maybe he'd been playing her all this time or maybe he just needed a nice set of pillow boobs to wipe her away from his mind. He was staring at her hard, she decided she'd try to be the adult in this situation.

"Good morning, Paul" she said flatly without a hint of emotion. 'Son of a bitch' she thought but inside her heart was crumbling into pieces. This sealed it for her, she was done with Paul.

*

Thanks to my editor Kumani, you rock. Thanks for coming back to read the story, sorry I been gone so long but I'm living my own love story and preparing for a wedding. EMD